IN THIS POST:
– About WAPDA
– About WAPDA House
– Role of WAPDA
– Training of Staff at WAPDA
Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority, also known as WAPDA, oversees all of the power and water generation and supply in Pakistan, including initiating several hydropower projects at many dams in the country to bring about a combined generation and collection of both power and water at these locations. Let’s learn more about Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in detail below.
About Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA)
Established in 1958 through an Act of Parliament, WAPDA is an autonomous body under the administrative powers of the Federal Government. The organisation has several divisions, including a Power Wing, a Water Wing, a Finance Wing, and an Administrative Wing. However, in 2007, WAPDA was divided into two distinct organisations—WAPDA, which was asked to focus solely on water and hydropower development, and Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO), which was given the responsibility of thermal power generation and distribution.
Despite the divide, the Water and Power Development Authority has several major roles in ensuring that the citizens of Pakistan are provided with an adequate supply of both power and water. From water collection in reservoirs to the generation of hydropower, and overseeing irrigational channels in Pakistan, the authority does all that and more. Employees of WAPDA are also provided with housing in WAPDA Town, Lahore, WAPDA Town, Islamabad, WAPDA Town, Faisalabad, WAPDA Town, Peshawar, WAPDA Town, Multan, WAPDA Town, Gujranwala, and in WAPDA Towns in other major cities across the country.
The authority also goes above and beyond to provide services to its employees, giving them training, education, as well as medical benefits, to ensure that the organisation functions to its full potential with a dedicated staff at hand. WAPDA is headquartered in Lahore, and the building it is housed in is a landmark in itself.
About WAPDA House
Known as WAPDA House, the building slightly resembles a pagoda with its square roof that has curved lines and upturned edges. It was designed by an American architect, Edward Durell Stone, who became known for his decorative buildings between the 1950s and the 1960s. The construction of WAPDA House was completed in 1967.
The building has seven floors above ground and two subterranean levels and contains an approximate of 1,000 rooms, including an auditorium. The roof also has a centrally located Plexiglas dome which is reflective of the curves found in the design while the rest of the structure focuses on square patterns, including the use of square bay windows along the exterior walls on every floor.
WAPDA’s office in Lahore is located at the intersection of Egerton Road and Mall Road, at Charing Cross (also known as Shah Faisal Chowk). It is surrounded by several prominent landmarks and buildings in the city, including the headquarters of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab, the Islamic Summit Minar, which is an obelisk that commemorates the hosting of the Second Islamic Summit Conference in the city of Lahore in 1974, and the headquarters of the Excise, Taxation & Narcotics Control Department of Punjab.
Other notable landmarks include Lahore Zoo, Victoria Park, Regional Passport Office, Lahore, Ramada Hotel & Suites, PTCL Head Office & Central Exchange, Faletti’s Hotel, National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Aiwan-e-Iqbal Complex, Alhamra Art Centre, Governor’s House, Lahore, Quaid-e-Azam Library, Bagh-e-Jinnah, Avari Hotel, Lahore, Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Pearl Continental (PC) Hotel, Lahore, Lahore High Court, Anarkali Bazaar, and Lahore Museum.
Role of WAPDA in Water & Power Generation
The primary role of WAPDA is to harness water and hydropower resources in the country to generate and provide clean and affordable electricity to the masses. This is why the authority focuses on not just constructing dams and water reservoirs in different parts of Pakistan, but also ensures timely upgrades to the structures to improve water storage capacity levels and ensure optimum hydropower generation.
The core duty of WAPDA is come up with schemes and projects that help optimise the following fields:
- Hydropower generation, transmission, and distribution
- Water supply and irrigation
- Water drainage
- Prevention of waterlogging
- Reclamation of waterlogged lands
- Inland navigation of water
- Flood management
WAPDA’s Water Wing
Besides the installation of tube wells, surface drains, and pipe drains to prevent waterlogging in agriculturally rich regions of the country, the achievements and major projects of WAPDA’s Water Wing include:
- Warsak Hydroelectric Power Station in 1960
- Mangla Dam in 1967
- Tarbela Dam in 1976
- Chashma Hydropower Project in 2001
- Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project in 2003
- National Drainage Program in 2007
- Sabakzai Dam Project in 2007
- Mirani Dam in 2007
- Satpara Dam in 2012
- Duber Khwar Hydropower Project in 2013
- Gomal Zam Dam in 2013
- Darawat Dam in 2014
WAPDA’s Power Wing
Before its division into PEPCO and WAPDA, the authority had been actively involved in not just hydropower projects, but also, in the development of other sources of power generation. The organisation played its part in bringing electricity to more than 136,000 villages, along with spreading a wide network of transmission lines and grid stations throughout the country.
Currently, WAPDA’s Power Wing focuses on:
- Maintenance and operation of Hydel (Hydro) Power Stations
- Rehabilitation and upgrading of old Hydel Power Stations
- Training personnel to manage these power stations
WAPDA’s Finance Wing
This division of WAPDA primarily oversees financial and fund management for all of WAPDA’s projects. The core functions of WAPDA’s Finance Wing include:
- Budgeting and budget management
- Reporting on accounts and financial data
- Conducting internal audits
WAPDA’s Administrative Wing
WAPDA’s Administrative Wing is responsible for human resource management, and aims to provide WAPDA’s employees with a range of general services with the help of the following Directorates:
- HR & Admin Directorate – Handles all recruitment, retirement, benefits, incentives, loans, training, and enforcement of rules and regulations
- Services Directorate – Deals with the provision of official accommodation, transport facility, and formulation of procedures and policies
- Career Management Directorate – Tackles job relocations, promotions, training and foreign visits
- Security Directorate – Focuses on workplace security, recruitment of WAPDA’s Security Force, and formulation of policies
Training of Staff at WAPDA
Four institutions help WAPDA train their staff. These include:
- WAPDA Administrative Staff College, Islamabad – Teaches administrative skills to the relevant staff
- Mangla Hydel Training Centre, Mangla – Responsible for teaching the staff and engineers on-site as well as conducting orientations of new engineers and providing Refresher Courses before promotions of engineers
- WAPDA Engineering Academy, Faisalabad – Focuses on imparting technical knowledge related to electrical and mechanical engineering
- WAPDA Examination Directorate – Conducts the Departmental Examinations and the Induction Examination of Officers at WAPDA
Now you know all about Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and the role it plays in power and water generation within Pakistan. Here is a list of famous dams in Pakistan, as well as a detailed guide on the under-development hydropower projects in Pakistan if you want to read more on the subject. You can also check out the list of under-construction dams in Pakistan as well. We’ve also covered the under-construction Dasu Hydropower Project in detail if you want to learn more about it.
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